2014 Senior Bowl

Another one to keep an eye on is Marqueston Huff out of Wyoming. Very impressive safety prospect that has been matching up well with pretty much everyone. He looks like he can be a cornerback or a safety at the next level, shows good athleticism, great lateral movement and agility, he's certainly popping up on people's radar more now.

-After a so-so Shrine Game week of practice, Pierre Desir of Lindenwood received the call-up to the Senior Bowl, and so far has made the most of it. Today was easily his best of the past two weeks, dominating most receivers (outside of one legal push-off by Michael Campanaro) today. His hand strength and natural press coverage ability forced two receivers on the ground and lead him to two near interceptions during team drills.

-Utah State's Nevin Lawson was another Shrine Game-to-Senior Bowl call-up, and he was also one of the most impressive cornerbacks today. He stayed tight throughout his receiver's route, and showed plus ball skills and physicality at the catch point against both receivers and tight ends. He's sinking and using his hands to play physical in off-coverage, and is showing that he can press a little at the line of scrimmage. He's earning his role in the NFL with impressive nickel cornerback-like ability and on special teams during practices.

-Nebraska's Stanley Jean-Baptiste likely has defensive back coaches' mouth-watering after this week's practice, and he showed that tremendous upside today. He sinks and cuts remarkably well in off coverage, has the length and willingness to be physical in press, and makes up speed vertically to protect against faster receivers. He has first round tools, but team's will still need to answer just how much development he needs before he can be an instant starter.

-Marqueston Huff of Wyoming and Isaiah Lewis of Michigan State really struggled all day today, and neither were highly ranked on film when I saw them coming in. Both have struggled with the quality of receivers on this North Roster. However, Jimmie Ward of Northern Illinois impressed today. He showed plus physicality in man coverage against tight ends, and took explosive and decisive steps upfield in team drills as well.

North Wide Receivers

-Of the receivers, Josh Huff of Oregon had the best day of the bunch. While he still struggles a bit with press coverage, and did so today, he plays with plus physicality down the field, especially in the red zone fade. He finished at the catch point very well today, and used his hands to separate (legally) against all types of cornerbacks

-Battling for the top receiver of the day was Wyoming's Robert Herron. He's quick throughout his route tree, flips his head around with tremendous snap back to the quarterback, and is smooth at the top of his route in attacking the ball. He also get of press remarkably well today for a small receiver, even though he likely won't be asked to do that much in the NFL as a slot receiver.

-Jared Abbrederis of Wisconsin is such a technician as a route runner, and he works so well to get cornerbacks outside the framework of their body as he sets up deep breaking routes. He's finished his routes and seems focused throughout his route tree on every play. Throughout the week, he's been arguably the top receiver in attendance at the Senior Bowl

-Shaquille Evans of UCLA has the size and athleticism to attack vertically and separate with that body control. But his routes are very rounded at this point, and despite beating defenders at time throughout the day, his routes won't be suitable for the NFL level in terms of getting his own separation.

"-Battling for the top receiver of the day was Wyoming's Robert Herron. He's quick throughout his route tree, flips his head around with tremendous snap back to the quarterback, and is smooth at the top of his route in attacking the ball. He also get of press remarkably well today for a small receiver, even though he likely won't be asked to do that much in the NFL as a slot receiver.

-Jared Abbrederis of Wisconsin is such a technician as a route runner, and he works so well to get cornerbacks outside the framework of their body as he sets up deep breaking routes. He's finished his routes and seems focused throughout his route tree on every play. Throughout the week, he's been arguably the top receiver in attendance at the Senior Bowl

-Shaquille Evans of UCLA has the size and athleticism to attack vertically and separate with that body control. But his routes are very rounded at this point, and despite beating defenders at time throughout the day, his routes won't be suitable for the NFL level in terms of getting his own separation."

I'll take all 3 on the 49ers if Boldin doesn't re-sign and call it a day. Speed, physicality, route-running....etc.

I paid quite a bit of attention to Saginaw Valley State's Jeff Janis. The wideout came in at 6'2", a little shorter than expected, but he's got a legit NFL body. There is not a great deal of lateral agility, but saying he's straight-line is incorrect; he has a little wiggle, but he's better at using his strength and bulk to help him leverage off coverage. He made a very nice sideline catch on a terrible throw from Miami's Stephen Morris. Not sure he's draftable until he runs, and thus far he has not had much to do down the field. On a side and completely hetero note, he's a very good looking young man.

In the battle of bigger corners on the North, Lindenwood's Pierre Desir has outshined Nebraska's Stanley Jean-Baptiste. Desir is clearly more agile, with looser ankles and hips, and he also runs with more control. Jean-Baptiste locates the ball better, however, and is better at using his body to steer the receiver off the desired path. He's got a major problem with holding on cuts, however, and in team drills he could not get off blocks from smaller receivers. I saw the same issue there in games against Michigan and Michigan State this fall, too. It's an odd problem for a giant corner.

Wyoming WR Robert Herron has been exemplary. He has incredible explosion off the line. He can also change direction on a dime without gearing down, a very important attribute for a receiver. His hands are soft but strong. His catch radius isn't all that big, but he's been largely uncoverable here.

One player I hadn't spent much time on but really want to check out a lot more extensively is Utah State CB Nevin Lawson. He's done nothing but impress with his quickness. I like his eyes and instincts too. I don't have any notes from game tape on him yet, but I like what I see.

Originally posted by DontSitOnTheHood:
It's got to the point where Roby is actually underrated. I've seen every game of that kids career... he's a beast.

No, no he's not. He played on a defense that provided a tremendous pass rush, and yet the secondary simply couldn't hang and he was the epicenter of it all. His game trying to defend Abbrederis was almost like watching comic relief. If I were to rank players in the draft on bust potential, be's in my Top 5 for sure. Not to say that he can't be a good player, but whatever it is was that he was doing this past season, if he can't get some of those issues ironed out, the lapses in coverage, bad judgment when going after a pass in the air, looking back at the QB, simply misjudging the route, he isn't going to do very well in the NFL.

As of right now, he's a super fast, super athletic guy that I don't see as a potential starting CB in the NFL yet. There's a lot of things to like, he's a heady tackler, a good hitter, does well in run support but he had too many lapses in coverage this season compared to someone like Dennard. It's kind of a scary proposition to see that he didn't do that well against some mediocre QB's and decent but not star level college receivers. What happens when he's got the task of defending Michael Floyd or Larry Fitzgerald with Palmer throwing the football downfield?

The video shows him going against one of the best WRs in this draft class. He's raw, but if you saw, even after getting beat, he recovered and was in position to make a play. JA had to make a rediculous adjustment to get that ball

Huff's athleticism is sure to intrigue scouts looking for cover corners and he's previously shown the toughness to handle NFL physicality due to his time at safety at Wyoming.

Another small but feisty defensive back catching the eye of scouts at the Senior Bowl was Northern Illinois' Jimmie Ward.

While lacking the frame scouts would prefer at the position, the 5-foot-10, 193-pound Ward is an aggressive downhill tackler, who crashed the line of scrimmage in run support and raced down the field as a middle defender on kickoff coverage.

Ward was moved all over the field by the Atlanta Falcons' coaching staff, lining up as a single-high safety, dropping down to cover tight ends as a traditional strong safety and splitting out to cover receivers out of the slot. In each case, his vision and burst to the ball consistently put him in position to make big plays.

One particularly impressive play came while he was backed up as a deep centerfielder. Reading a wide run to the right (his left) from West Virginia running back Charles Sims, Ward exploded towards the line of scrimmage, zipping past would-be blockers to "tackle" the 6-foot, 214-pound back in the open-field. Tackling is strictly forbidden during the all-star game practices, but Ward came in so fast, Sims had no choice but to attempt a jump-cut to his right, losing his balance and falling to the ground on a play in which he appeared to have an wide lane for an easy score.

Given the Seattle Seahawks' success with long, athletic cornerbacks, scouts are keeping a close eye on the North's towering trio of Lindenwood's Pierre Desir (6-foot-1, 191 pounds), Nebraska's Stanley Jean-Baptiste (6-foot-2, 213 pounds) and North Carolina State's Dontae Johnson (6-foot-2, 199 pounds). Each had their moments on Wednesday, with the small-schooler Desir perhaps showing the best fluidity and speed of the group. While an impressive athlete, Desir literally let an opportunity slip through his fingers in dropping an easy interception midway through practice. Desir read a telegraphed pass from Clemson's Tajh Boyd, stepping in front of the wideout near the goal-line. Desir's ball-skills have stood out on tape but this pass slipped through his hands and bounced off his pads, bouncing into the air with an audible thud that could be heard high in the stands. The pass resulted in an incompletion rather than the turnover that could have turned a good play into a great one for the D-II All-American.

Oregon wideout Josh Huff might be the gifted of the North's receivers but he showed the same frustrating struggles with consistency which characterized his career with the Ducks. Possessing broad-shoulders, strength and toughness, Huff is capable of fighting through safeties to gain position, as well as the quickness and speed to separate from cornerbacks. Unfortunately, the tendency to lose focus on the details - like exploding through his routes or securing the football through the entire catch process - again came into play during Wednesday's practice. Huff can make the spectacular play, demonstrating the ability to track the ball over his shoulder on vertical routes as well as twirling to make acrobatic catches against tight coverage. He also dropped a beautiful deep ball down late in practice down the right sideline and too often was knocked off his feet by aggressive cornerbacks.

Frankly, while Huff made some splashy plays, more consistency was shown from Herron and even Northwestern's Kain Colter, who is making the transition to receiver after starring as an option quarterback with the Wildcats. While perhaps best known for his straight-line speed, Herron has impressed scouts with his stout frame, competitiveness and willingness to extend for the contested grab. He made the catch of the day early in practice, soaring high to snatch a high, hard pass from Boyd along the left sideline. While clearly a work in progress as a route-runner, Colter (5-foot-11, 199 pounds) has the agility and balance to generate separation and caught the ball cleanly.

 UCLA wideout Shaq Evans had difficulty adjusting to off-target throws on vertical routes, but he got himself open by attacking leverage through his route stem and dropping his hips to accelerate out of the break. He needs to improve his hand usage when working to cross a defensive back's face; he struggled primarily to fight through the DB's inside positioning when running simple post patterns. Still, he's a size-speed type who's worth drafting and developing.

 Wisconsin's Jared Abbrederis was the cleanest route runner and most polished receiver. He displayed sharp plant-and-drive footwork to stay flat or work back downhill to the catch point. Even when forced to adjust to off-target, high-velocity throws (which was fairly often), Abbrederis never seemed to panic and was comfortable snatching the ball away from his frame.

 Wyoming's Robert Herron struggled to adjust to bad throws and finish receptions away from his body. Herron is a speedster who eats up an off-man cushion, but he'll have to improve those plucking skills.

 Conversely, Wake Forest slot receiver Mike Campanaro caught just about everything thrown or punted his direction. He never wowed in terms of suddenness out of breaks, but he located, tracked and finished receptions regardless of the defensive back's positioning or physical play downfield.

 Josh Huff of Oregon caught the ball well, too, but he also made a good impression with his hand usage to create separation vs. grabby defenders in off-man coverage. His short gait isn't ideal, as it takes him more than three steps per 5 yards (a key measuring stick for outside receivers); however, his ball skills, refined hand use and clean plant footwork allow him to win in the short and intermediate route trees.

 Kain Colter of Northwestern Converted from quarterback to receiver just this week, but he looked like he belonged on the field. He showcased natural ball skills, as well as focus at contested catch points and the ability to adjust to off-target throws. His footwork is still developing but he doesn't drift upfield at the top of the route and he snaps his head around to present an immediate target.

 Jeff Janis (Saginaw Valley State) won a fair amount of individual battles, using his physical frame and footwork off the line to work through press coverage. He doesn't create a ton of separation and isn't a consistent catcher with his hands, but he reacts well to contact downfield and competes very well as a blocker. He needs to clean up his drops.

— West Virginia's Charles Sims was the best running back on the field. He stood up several linebackers in blitz pickup and showed plus quickness and acceleration through the hole in team sessions. He ran determined and showed the strength to run through arm tackles.

Sims is a guy that I like quite a lot. Very decisive, hard-nosed back, finds the hole and attacks, good receiver out of the backfield as well.

Tues: Really struggled in drills showing little in the way of smoothness or fluidity. Saw little action in scrimmage. Have to wonder if you can place him over the slot receiver.

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Pierre Desir DB Lindenwood

6011 195 9 1/4 32 3/4

Mon: Struggled; looked confused and was beat often. Looks the part but must start playing to it.

Tues: Slightly better day. Seemed to get his feet underneath him.

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Ahmad Dixon DB Baylor

5114 205 9 5/8 32

Tues: Physically aggressive defensive back who went hard every snap he took.

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Marqueston Huff DB Wyoming

5110 198 8 1/4 31

Tues: Saw a lot of time at cornerback. Solid; quick footed and really did not show much stiffness in his game.

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Stanley Jean-Baptiste DB Nebraska

6023 215 8 1/2 32 3/8

Tues: Physically imposing defender who looked solid in drills.

Wed: Really played well and stepped it up. Made a terrific pass defense in the end zone, using his size and athleticism to knock away the ball. Looks like he has a ton of upside.

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Dontae Johnson DB North Carolina

6020 199 8 7/8 31 1/2

Mon: Really had a terrific day. Looked good in man coverage and had a terrific all-around day. Dominated at times in man coverage Displayed good ball skills, instinctive an shut down opponents all practice long.

Tues: Tweaked his hamstring yesterday and on the sidelines most of the morning

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Nevin Lawson DB Utah State

5097 184 8 7/8 31 3/4

Mon: Struggled all day. Was constantly beaten up by opponents and gave up a lot of receptions. Lacks quickness, speed and not very smooth.

Tues: Much, much better. Has limitations yet displayed improved techniques and was not as slow reacting to the action.

Wed: Best practice of the week and better today then he was anytime at the Shrine Game. Good footwork, hip movement and nicely covered the deep throw.

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Isaiah Lewis DB Michigan State

5100 205 9 7/8 30 7/8

Mon: Was spanked badly by Kain Coulter in one-on-one drills then seemed to fold into the background.

Tues: Was not beaten by anyone then again did not stand out in anyway. Technically very sound and displays a large degree of quickness in his game.

Wed: Struggled. Looks good in drills but does not translate it into one-on-ones or scrimmage. Easily beaten by tight ends over the middle of the field.

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Dezmen Southward DB Wisconsin

6001 206 10 31 5/8

Mon: Has great size and toughness. Showed a lot of skill between the numbers yet was beaten badly a number of times in one-on-one. Looked like a liability in man coverage situations.

Tues: Saw a lot of time at cornerback but lacks the quickness and ball skills to play corner or line up over the slot receiver.

Wed: In a nutshell, really nothing more than a traditional strong safety.

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Jimmie Ward DB Northern Illinois

5103 191 9 1/2 31 1/2

Mon: Solid, not spectacular. Did not make mental mistakes and was constantly around the action.

Tues: Again; instinctive and plays within himself. Made a terrific play during special team drills.

Wed: Solid day from Ward. Not flashy yet efficient and does not make mental errors.

Wide Receivers

Jared Abbrederis WR Wisconsin

6007 189 9 5/8 30 3/4

Mon: Had a nice day catching the ball. Snatches it cleanly and very quick running after the catch.

Tues: Not a great athlete nor a game breaker but did just about everything well and has the best hands of anyone on the North.

Wed:Once again proved to be a terrific receiver who does the little things well. Projects well as a second day pick.

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Michael Campanaro WR Wake Forest

5093 191 9 3/4 28 5/8

Mon: Very good day. Caught everything thrown in his direction and made a number of several difficult catches. Fought hard to come away with receptions. Tough yet also reliable.

Wed:Terrific day; made a number of terrific on handed grabs as well and difficult receptions in midair. Small but consistent on the positive side.

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Kain Colter WR Northwestern

5106 199 10 30 3/4

Mon: Looked good making the transition to receiver. Made several nice receptions, beating established defensive backs down the field. Very quick and shifty separating from defenders before the catch then running after the reception.

Wed: Made a terrific reception in the end zone. Runs good routes. Quick, consistent and catches the ball well. Expected to return punts/kicks during the game.

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Shaquelle Evans WR UCLA

6006 210 9 3/8 31 7/8

Tues: One of the better receivers this morning. Runs good routes, very quick and caught the ball well.

Wed:Really moving up draft boards. Not a burner but built well, runs great routes and very natural catching the ball.

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Josh Huff WR Oregon

5110 201 9 1/8 30 1/2

Mon: Made several nice receptions including a beautiful deep catch when he outsmarted Dez Southward to come away with the ball. Productive day for Huff.

Tues: Getting a lot of positive comments from the scouts on hand.

Wed: Does not stand out yet very, very solid in all areas. Building a buzz around himself.

The South's top plays in Wednesday's practice included a 60-yard toss from San Jose State quarterback David Fales to Oklahoma wide receiver Jalen Saunders in wide receiver-vs.-cornerback drills, a breakaway run by Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon, a pass broken up on the fly by Florida State safety Terrence Brooks and a powerful catch by Auburn fullback Jay Prosch in drills against linebackers.

- Jalen Saunders (WR Oklahoma) had another good day of practice. He is a smaller player but worked well out of the slot. He catches almost everything that is thrown his way and has a lot of wiggle after the catch.

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